ARCHIVED: Conclusion: Building a Global Framework to Address the Needs and Contributions of Older People in Emergencies

 

77. Some of the outstanding opportunities for global and national action on seniors and emergency preparedness are set out in the July 2006 report of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), the primary United Nations (UN) mechanism for inter-agency coordination of humanitarian assistance. Following its deliberations on protecting and assisting older people in emergencies, the Committee called for a strengthening of measures to promote the protection of rights of older people in emergencies under existing laws; to enhance the visibility and inclusion of older people in crisis situations; to mainstream efforts directed towards older people through integration and intergenerational measures; and to effect a more equitable allocation of practical and financial resources to support work with older people in emergencies.

78. In the light of the comparatively early stage of this important global focus on seniors and emergency preparedness, the discussions emanating from the 2007 Winnipeg International Workshop on Seniors and Emergency Preparedness are particularly timely: the workshop underscores the importance of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing as it relates to emergency preparedness and the additional efforts needed to ensure that seniors are included in all aspects of emergency management. Further, it reinforces the key messages associated with the related follow-up discussions of the UN agencies. Thus, the Winnipeg Workshop also has the potential to contribute to the selection and further development of key strategic measures that will maintain the momentum created by the MIPAA and advance bottom-up and participatory measures to achieve the longer-term objective of a society for all ages.

 

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